Tang San's Shock! An Elder Brother Is Like a Father! Wildfires Cannot Burn It All; Spring Winds Bring It Back to Life!

He did not summon his martial soul, nor did he use any soul skills.

He merely extended his index and middle fingers.

Slap.

With a soft sound, Zhu Zhuqing's claws, wrapped in Soul Power and capable of tearing through rock, were firmly caught between Tang Yuan's two fingers.

No matter how hard Zhu Zhuqing struggled, his hand seemed welded within an iron vise. She could neither advance an inch nor pull free.

The surrounding air currents scattered and surged from the sudden halt, whipping Tang Yuan's long hair.

Yet he remained as steady as Mount Tai.

"Your speed is decent."

Tang Yuan looked at Zhu Zhuqing, whose face was flushed red from being so close to him, and gave his assessment.

"Among those your age, your explosive power is quite good."

"However, your attack patterns are far too simple."

Tang Yuan applied slight pressure with his fingers and brushed Zhu Zhuqing's claws aside.

"A straight-line dash may be fast, but it is also the easiest to predict.

"Although your changes in direction are sudden, in the eyes of a true expert, the way your muscles exert force has already revealed your intentions."

"A lack of variation is a dead end."

After saying that, Tang Yuan did not withdraw his fingers. Instead, he moved them forward and lightly tapped Zhu Zhuqing on the shoulder.

He did not use much force.

Yet a gentle Soul Power as vast as the sea instantly surged from his fingertips into Zhu Zhuqing's body.

This force was incomparably domineering, giving Zhu Zhuqing no chance to react as it directly sealed off the pathways through which her Soul Power flowed.

"Mm..."

Zhu Zhuqing felt her entire body suddenly go numb, her tightly tensed muscles instantly slipping beyond her control.

It felt as though the strings of a puppet had been cut.

Thud.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath as fine beads of sweat covered her forehead.

Though her body could not move, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes shone frighteningly bright.

She had lost.

She had lost completely.

But it was precisely because she had lost so decisively that she saw the gap between herself and a true powerhouse.

Without needing a martial soul or soul skills, he had subdued a Soul Grandmaster in an instant through sheer physical strength and control of the battle alone.

Was this the Blue Silver King's strength?

Sitting on the ground, Zhu Zhuqing looked up at the man standing with his hands behind his back. The trace of fear in her heart was gradually replaced by fervor.

Back in Star Luo, no one had taught her these things.

Those teachers only made her train brute strength and fight without pause.

Yet with just a few words and a single movement, Tang Yuan had made her understand where the bottleneck she had struggled with all along lay.

Perhaps...

Being abandoned by her family and following this man was not such a bad ending after all.

It might even be a stroke of fortune.

Tang Yuan did not pay any further attention to Zhu Zhuqing on the ground. Instead, he turned to look at Tang San beside him.

"Did you see clearly?"

Tang San immediately nodded, his expression solemn.

"I saw it clearly, Teacher."

"It wasn't just the techniques."

Tang Yuan walked over to Tang San and patted him on the shoulder.

"Xiao San, you have great talent—greater than many others, in fact."

"But you have one fatal weakness."

Tang San raised his head, somewhat puzzled.

"A weakness?"

"Your heart is too soft."

Tang Yuan's voice was not loud, yet every word struck true, hammering against Tang San's heart like a heavy blow.

"That day at the Great Soul Arena, you clearly had the chance to cripple Dai Mubai's limbs and ensure he could never rise again for the rest of his life."

"But in the end, you held back."

"You thought that was knowing when to stop? That it was magnanimity?"

Tang Yuan shook his head, a cold, harsh curve forming at the corner of his lips.

"That was stupidity."

"When it comes to enemies—those who want to hurt you, or those who already pose a threat to you—"

"There is only one principle."

Tang Yuan raised a hand and made a downward chopping motion through the air.

"Root them out completely."

"If you don't pull up the weeds by the roots, they'll grow again when the spring breeze blows."

"You spare him today and think it's a kindness. Tomorrow, once he regains his strength, he'll bring stronger people to kill you, your family, and your friends."

"When that time comes, your magnanimity will become the poison that kills those around you."

"To draw your blade when you see injustice is chivalry."

"But if someone blocks your path, kill until they no longer dare to stand in your way—kill until they regret ever being born into this world."

"This is the way to survive."

The Martial Arts Arena fell deathly silent.

Tang San stared blankly at Tang Yuan.

For someone like him, who had received the Tang Sect's orthodox teachings from childhood and believed in always leaving others a way out, these words were undoubtedly a tremendous shock.

But...

Thinking again of that useless Master, if he had seen through things sooner, he would not have taken so many detours.

Tang Yuan was right.

This world had always been one where the strong devoured the weak.

The confusion in Tang San's eyes gradually faded, replaced by an unprecedented resolve.

He took a deep breath and gave Tang Yuan a deep bow.

"Teacher, I'll remember it."

"If you don't pull up the weeds by the roots, they'll grow again when the spring breeze blows."

Tang San turned that ten-character phrase over and over in his mind. Every character was like a carving knife, etching itself into his bones.

"From now on, I will never make this kind of mistake again."

"I want to be like Teacher—to be someone who controls the situation and makes his enemies tremble in fear."

Seeing the growing sharpness in Tang San's eyes, Tang Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

He was teachable.

As long as he could straighten out this kid's mindset, then with the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons and Twin Martial Souls, he would definitely become a fine blade in the future.

Just then, a crisp notification sounded in Tang Yuan's mind.

[Ding! You have taught main storyline character Tang San to change his disposition. Mission progress has greatly increased.]

[Reward obtained: Immortal and Undying, Regenerate Soul Bone.]

A warm current instantly surged into Tang Yuan's body, gathering around his spine.

The sensation, brimming with vitality and power, made every pore on his body open wide.

The night was as black as ink.

The rear courtyard of Blue Silver King's Mansion was utterly quiet, broken only by the occasional chirping of insects.

Inside the west wing room.

Zhu Zhuqing was still wearing the clothes from the day, sitting at the table in a daze.

The tea on the table had long gone cold, yet she had not taken a single sip.

In her mind, the scenes from the Martial Arts Arena kept replaying.

Tang Yuan's two seemingly casual fingers.

And that line: "If you don't pull up the weeds by the roots, they'll grow again when the spring breeze blows."

Though he had said those words to Tang San, they struck her ears like thunder.

Ruthless enough.

But real enough, too.

Within the Star Luo Imperial Family, she had seen too much intrigue and too many relatives turning on one another.

She alone had foolishly clung to fantasies of family affection, fantasized that Dai Mubai could lead her out of her misery.

Only now did she truly understand.

If she wanted to survive, if she refused to be trampled beneath others' feet, then she had to be fiercer and stronger than everyone else.

As countless thoughts swirled through Zhu Zhuqing's mind and her gaze grew somewhat unfocused—

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone suddenly knocked on the door.

Before Zhu Zhuqing could react, the door was pushed open.

A tall figure entered.

By the candlelight in the room, Zhu Zhuqing saw who it was.

Tang Yuan.